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January 07, 2008

Ad-dicted – The best ads of 2007

From typical saas-bahu soaps to typical reality shows - television programming is getting more and more stereo‘typical’…

Little wonder, there are only 2 things I watch with full devotion on TV – the amazing shows on Travel and Living and advertisements.

2007 I believe has been one of the good years for ad agencies owing to some major changes in marketing strategies, mergers and launch of some great brands. The following are some of my favourite ads that were showcased in 2007:

(Follow the link to watch the ad)

Happydent – Hats off to Prasoon Joshi – the man behind the 100 watts smile. What does he eat? I mean, who would have thought of such huge sets, never-seen-before idea and a crazy execution for a mere chewing gum? Little wonder, all the ad functions went gaga over this ad. It surely deserved it.

Bingo – Bingo marked a new trend in advertising – something that we’d never seen before. A clip which started as a tele-shopping ad for glad bangles gets weirdly associated to Bingo’s combination of mad angles! Stupid? Creative? Whatever people say, the fact is that you remember the ad because of its craziness. No confusion, great combination indeed.

Airtel – The brand moves from its “express yourself” tagline and goes deeper with a new thought, ‘Barriers break when people talk’. The original idea was to set the ad at the Wagah Border, and get Indian and Pakistani soldiers to start a football game together. But later, it was changed to make the appeal much more universal. The result – Airtel breaks the clutter and once again becomes one of the most recalled brands.

Vodafone– Hutch becomes Vodafone and the ads just get better. No dialogues, just some background music, great performances and gripping visuals. You’d leave anything aside to watch these ads one more time. I especially love the elevator ad where the poor chap waits the entire day to meet his soulmate and finally meets her. The song ‘take me away’ was especially made for the ad! Loved it.

Lee- This one’s Lee’s first television ad in India and what a success! Denims get a sensuous look and the song ‘I want to touch you’ does the magic. This one was made by a 6 month old ad agency from Bangalore called ‘Happy’ and here too the song was especially made for this ad.

I’m sure there are many more ads but these are the ones that come to my mind instantly. While the world cribs about increased airtime to ads, I would say they are probably the only creative spots we are left with on Indian television today. And I strongly believe there should be a channel completely dedicated to ads so that soaps and reality shows do not spoil the fun of appreciating creativity at its best. What say :)

Thanks...About Bingo, well it joins this selection not just for the sheer enjoyment value but also the fact that Bingo ads do not make the slightest effort to take the brand seriously - if anything, the reverse. And that is so refreshing. I mean, someone like a brand manager, the marketing manager dared to suggest that for once the brand could be taken lightly. It surely was a great risk for ITC, but the fact is that the irrelevance of the ads (which was consciously and very creatively crafted) contributed to its brand recall. However, i do feel that the 2nd series of ads do not match the introductory campaigns which i blv were superb!

there is a "come to maharastra" advert which has been released. just caught it on the idiot box yest. one of the most "notable" omissions in ur list is the "sone ki chidiya" advert. i dont know which product it caters to...but its v. a brilliant copy. its a longish advert but it tugs at u emotionally.

i preferred the earlier hutch adverts for their emo. quotient, as much as i love the current vodafone ones for their simplicity and impact. the airtel one tho comes out on top.

i also liked the titan advert...which the french chick n aamir khan. not for sale.

the 'sone ki chidhiya' ad is of future group. I kind of didn't 'love' that ad - hence the omission. About the titan ad - I cannot comment since i never happened to watch the complete ad. Maharashtra tourism was good but then the ones mentioned here are my personal favs :)

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